The Quranic Command
The Quran contains one of the most stunning commands in all of revealed scripture:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا “Indeed, Allah and His angels confer blessing upon the Prophet. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace.” (Quran 33:56)
In this verse, Allah reveals something extraordinary: He and His angels are already in a state of sending salawat upon the Prophet (SAW). The believers are then commanded to join this cosmic act — to unite their prayers with the salawat of Allah (in a manner befitting His majesty) and the angels.
This is the theological foundation of the salawat: it is not merely a human practice but a participation in the divine and angelic worship of Allah’s Messenger.
The Reward of Salawat
The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) spoke many times about the extraordinary reward of sending salawat upon him:
مَن صَلَّى عَلَيَّ صَلَاةً وَاحِدَةً صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيهِ عَشرًا “Whoever sends one salawat upon me, Allah will send ten blessings upon him.” (Muslim)
أَولَى النَّاسِ بِي يَومَ القِيَامَةِ أَكثَرُهُم عَلَيَّ صَلَاةً “The person who will be closest to me on the Day of Resurrection is the one who sent the most salawat upon me.” (Tirmidhi)
البَخِيلُ مَن ذُكِرتُ عِندَهُ فَلَم يُصَلِّ عَلَيَّ “The miser is the one in whose presence I am mentioned and he does not send salawat upon me.” (Tirmidhi)
This last hadith is particularly significant: whenever the Prophet’s name is mentioned in any gathering, salawat is the immediate and obligatory response of love.
The Complete Salawat — Salawat Ibrahimiyya
The Salawat Ibrahimiyya — named for the connection to Prophet Ibrahim (AS) that it makes — is the form of salawat transmitted by the Prophet (SAW) himself when his companions asked him how to send blessings upon him. It is recited in the final tashahud (sitting) of every Namaz:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا صَلَّيتَ عَلَى إِبرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبرَاهِيم، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيد اللَّهُمَّ بَارِك عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّد، كَمَا بَارَكتَ عَلَى إِبرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبرَاهِيم، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيد “O Allah, send Your blessings upon Muhammad and upon the progeny of Muhammad, as You sent blessings upon Ibrahim and upon the progeny of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are Praised and Glorious. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad, as You blessed Ibrahim and the progeny of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are Praised and Glorious.”
The inclusion of آل مُحَمَّد (the progeny/family of Muhammad) in the salawat is crucial — and in the Shia/Ismaili tradition, particularly significant. The Prophet specifically commanded that his family be included in the salawat, making it inseparable from complete blessing upon him.
Salawat in the Bohra Tradition
For the Dawoodi Bohra community, salawat are not merely an individual devotional practice but a communal art form — transmitted through specific forms of salawat that have accumulated over centuries of Dawat tradition.
At the Mention of the Prophet’s Name
In Bohra gatherings, whenever the name “Muhammad” or “Rasulullah” is mentioned, the congregation responds with salawat in unison — creating a rhythmic call-and-response that fills the room. This communal salawat is among the most characteristic sounds of Bohra religious life.
The leader says or reads aloud the Prophet’s name, and the congregation responds:
صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيهِ وَعَلَى آلِه وَسَلَّم “May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him and his progeny.”
At the Mention of Imam Names
In Bohra practice, salawat is also sent whenever the name of an Imam or a Dai is mentioned. This is a specific extension of the salawat tradition in the direction of walayah:
- Upon mention of the Prophet’s name: صلعم (Sall-Allahu Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam)
- Upon mention of an Imam’s name: عليه السلام (Alaihi al-Salam — Peace be upon him)
- Upon mention of a Dai Mutlaq: (رضي الله عنه) or (تقدست أسراره) for those who have passed, and (أيده الله تعالى بنصره العزيز) for the living Dai
In Qasaid (Religious Poetry)
One of the most distinctive features of Bohra devotional practice is the qasida (قَصِيدَة — pl. qasaid) — religious poems in Arabic and Lisan ud-Dawat that praise the Prophet (SAW), the Imams, and the Duat Mutlaqeen.
Qasaid are the primary vehicle through which elaborate salawat are delivered in Bohra gatherings. The greatest poets of the Dawat — including Syedna Taher Saifuddin (RA) and earlier Dais — wrote qasaid of extraordinary beauty, containing extended passages of salawat woven into theological poetry.
At wiladat celebrations, urs observances, and special occasions, qasaid are sung in congregation — the Arabic (or Lisan ud-Dawat) verses filling the space with rhythmic praise of the Prophet and the Ahl al-Bayt.
Salawat al-Sharifah in the Majlis
In Bohra majalis (religious gatherings), salawat al-sharifah is performed at key moments:
- At the opening of the majlis
- When the name of the Prophet (SAW) or an Imam is mentioned during the sermon
- At moments of du’a and supplication
- At the close of the majlis
The Aamil or speaker leads, the congregation follows, and the collective salawat becomes a form of communal meditation and devotion.
The Salawat of Sha’ban
Sha’ban, as the month of the Prophet (SAW), has a special salawat reported from the Imams:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّد — شَجَرَةِ النُّبُوَّةِ وَمَوضِعِ الرِّسَالَةِ وَمُختَلَفِ المَلَائِكَةِ وَمَعدِنِ العِلمِ وَأَهلِ بَيتِ الوَحي “O Allah, send your blessings upon Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad — the tree of prophethood, the seat of the message, the place where the angels descend, the mine of knowledge, and the household of revelation.”
This salawat is recommended throughout the month of Sha’ban.
Salawat and the Ahl al-Bayt
A theological dimension of salawat in the Bohra tradition: the command to include آل مُحَمَّد (the progeny of Muhammad) in the salawat is understood as an endorsement of walayah. To send salawat on the Prophet and his family is to acknowledge the chain of divine guidance that runs through the Ahl al-Bayt — from the Prophet to the Imams to the Duat.
This is why the Ismaili tradition gives particular weight to the salawat: it is not merely a prayer for the Prophet’s wellbeing (which Allah has already guaranteed) but an affirmation of the believer’s own connection to the chain of guidance.
The Imam transmits to the Dai what the Prophet transmitted to the Imam — and every salawat renews this chain in the heart of the mumin.
Common Salawat for Daily Use
Short form (after every mention of the Prophet’s name):
صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيهِ وَآلِه وَسَلَّم
Medium form (for voluntary recitation and extra reward):
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ الطَّيِّبِين الطَّاهِرِين
The complete Salawat Ibrahimiyya (in each Namaz tashahud — see above)
Salawat for Thursday nights (a recommended time for salawat):
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّد وَعَجِّل فَرَجَهُم “O Allah, bless Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad, and hasten their relief.”
See also: Prophet Muhammad, Understanding Walayah, Understanding Namaz, Milad Salgirah, Month Of Shaban, Post Namaz Routine